The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has filed a federal complaint against the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado, alleging that school officials failed to address severe antisemitic harassment against a Jewish student. The complaint, filed on June 11, details a nearly two-year pattern of alleged abuse, including antisemitic remarks and a physical assault, culminating in a physical altercation where the student was reportedly strangled with a laptop cord.
According to the complaint, the physical assault occurred in December 2025 at Southern Hills Middle School. A student allegedly wrapped a laptop charger around the neck of an eighth-grade Jewish student, dragged him backward, and called him an antisemitic slur. The Boulder Police Department was reportedly called to investigate this incident.
The ADL asserts that despite ongoing harassment and a hostile environment being identified, the school district did not effectively intervene. James Pasch, the ADL's Vice President of Litigation, stated that the family's pleas for help were not adequately addressed, constituting a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Pasch emphasized that no student should face threats or harassment due to their Jewish identity and that schools have a solemn obligation to ensure student safety.
The complaint outlines other alleged incidents, including one in April 2025 where classmates reportedly attempted to play a game called "Jew touch tag" and made derogatory remarks about Jewish people. In April 2026, another classmate allegedly told the student that "Hitler should have killed all the Jews when he had the chance." The ADL noted that the pattern of harassment was so severe that the student stopped wearing his Star of David necklace.
Following the laptop cord incident, a safety plan and protective order were reportedly put in place, but the ADL claims the protective order was violated on its first day.
The ADL's complaint seeks an apology from the school district to the student's family and requests a plan for antisemitism training for district students. Pasch added that when antisemitic incidents occur and are witnessed by other students, it is incumbent upon the district to address the antisemitism directly and send a message that such behavior is not tolerated.
In addition to this specific case, the ADL recorded 167 antisemitic incidents in Colorado in 2025, according to Pasch.